Behind the scenes - Image research at Karwansaray Publishers

This month, we have shared some insights in our Advent Calendar about the editors at Ancient Warfare and Ancient History magazine, as well as some of the artists and authors we work with at Karwansaray Publishers. Behind the scenes, our graphic designer, Christy Beall, works her magic on the lay-out of our various magazines, using not only artwork, but also quite a lot of images. This is where our image researcher Lauren van Zoonen comes in.

Where and what did you study?

I studied at the Free University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and obtained my MA in Ancient History in 2007. My thesis focused on the practised religion in the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia (South Italy) in the sixth and fifth centuries BC, comparing the religious activities of several apoikiai with several metropoleis.

What period or culture of history are you most interested in?

I fell in love with Ancient History as a young girl after my grandparents had taken me to the National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) in Leiden, the Netherlands. For a very long period of time, I was fascinated by ancient Egypt, however, I am now more of a Hellenist.

What do you do at Karwansaray Publishers?

My main task at Karwansaray Publishers is to find images to illustrate the various articles in Ancient History and Ancient Warfare magazine. Recently, I have also been trying my hand at image research for our new magazine: Medieval World: Culture & Conflict.

What does your work process look like?

Image research basically begins when the editor of a magazine comes up with a theme for an issue. Some topics are very hard to illustrate as there are hardly any images to go on, or in other cases, there are plenty of images, only none that can be used commercially. Once a theme has been established, I work closely with the editor to figure out which articles can be illustrated, and which articles need to be longform (four pages with one full page artwork).

What is the next step?

If it concerns a topic that we have touched on in the past, I start gathering everything I found over the past couple of years related to that subject in my own database. I then start reading the articles and highlight certain words that will most likely lead to images. Each article requires one or more anchor images - depending on the length of the article – as well as a wide variety of objects that can be used as marginalia. These objects range from frescoes, mosaics, and sculptured reliefs to coins, pottery, busts, jewellery, and so on. I make sure to record as much information as I can about these objects to help the editor and graphic designer choose which images suit best.

Where do you look for images?

Luckily, there are quite a few museums and other institutions such as libraries with online collections that provide copyright free images. This is where the search begins. All other images are found through Flickr, Shutterstock, and Wikimedia Commons.

What do you like most about your work?

I love the fact that every new article I read provides me with a further understanding of the ancient world: knowledge which is yet again broadened through image research as each object or location has its own story to tell. It is also rewarding to find objects that still make you say “Wow!” Even better: finding a copyright free important object after having spent a large amount of time looking for it. That is always worth a little cheer.

Do you have a favourite article from the contributions already published in Ancient History or Ancient Warfare magazine?

I don’t really have a favourite contribution. What gives me the most satisfaction is to see the end result: the lay-out of the hard copy magazine in which text and imagery have come together. I’m always grateful to see the images I found being used in an article.